A guide device known in the art includes a guideway through which a steel wire passes when the steel wire is fed to a former to form a bead core, which is embedded in a bead of a tire.
Patent document 1 describes an example of a guide device that is located between a feeding roller, which feeds a rubber-coated steel wire, and a former, around which the steel wire is wound. The guide device includes a tetragonal housing and a guideway, which is located in the housing. The steel wire, which is fed by the feeding roller, passes through the guideway. The feeding of the steel wire passing through the guideway limits large sagging of the steel wire between the feeding roller and the former. The steel wire is shaped, or bent, in conformance with the diameter of a bead prior to being fed to the former by the feeding roller through the guide device. The distal end of the steel wire that has been fed to the former is clamped by a clamping device that is coupled to the former.